(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector for use in connecting electric wires and for maintaining a waterproof property between the connector and the electric wires.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Various electronic instruments are mounted on a motor vehicle as a mobile unit. The motor vehicle is provided with a wiring harness for transmitting electric power and control signals to the electronic instruments. The wiring harness includes a plurality of electric wires and connectors. The electric wire is a so-called coated electric wire including an electrically conductive core wire and an electrically insulating coating which coats the core wire.
As the connector described above, for example, a connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-294336 is used. The connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-294336 includes a connector housing, sealing member and so on. The connector housing includes a tube-shaped outer case and a plurality of plate-shaped housings. The plate-shaped housing is provided with a terminal receiving groove for receiving a terminal fitting to which an electric wire is attached.
The sealing member includes a plurality of sheet-shaped sealing bodies each made of resilient material such as rubber. The sheet-shaped sealing body is attached to the plate-shaped housing so as to maintain a waterproof property between the sheet-shaped sealing body and the electric wire, which is attached to the terminal fitting received in the terminal receiving groove of the plate-shaped housing.
The connector described above is assembled as follows. First, each terminal fitting, to which the electric wire is attached, is received in the terminal receiving groove of the plate-shaped housing and the sheet-shaped sealing bodies are attached to the respective plate-shaped housings. Then, the plate-shaped housings are assembled with each other and the assembled plate-shaped housings are received in the outer case. Thus, the connector described above is assembled and coupled with a mating connector. In the connector thus assembled, the sheet-shaped sealing body maintains a waterproof property between the sheet-shaped sealing body and the electric wire so as to prevent liquid such as water from entering into the terminal receiving groove after passing along the electric wire.
As for the connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-294336, since the sheet-shaped sealing bodies, each made of rubber or the like, abut against each other when the plate-shaped housings are assembled with each other, therefore the plate-shaped housings must be assembled with each other opposing against resilient restoring force of the sheet-shaped sealing body. Further, in the connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-294336, there is no means provided for fixing the sheet-shaped sealing body on the plate-shaped housing.
Therefore, when the plate-shaped housings are assembled with each other, there might be a problem that the sheet-shaped sealing body comes off from the plate-shaped housing. Therefore, as for the connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-294336, it is difficult to assemble the plate-shaped housings with each other on a condition that the sheet-shaped sealing body never comes off from the plate-shaped housing. That is, it is difficult to assemble the connector.